Airbag Solutions

Airbag Recalls - April / May / June 2008

Douglas Gan — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:30:52 GMT

Hyundai is recalling 393,714 MY 2006-2008 Sonata vehicles equipped with an advanced air bag system which features an occupant classification system (OCS) in the right front seat. The purpose of the OCS is to disable the right passenger seat front air bag when it detects the presence of a child restraint system or small child in the right front seat. The right front air bag is disabled to prevent injuries to a child that may result from air bag inflation during a crash. Misclassification of a small stature adult as a child in the right front passenger seat may cause the air bag to not inflate in a crash that merits air bag deployment and may result in injury to the right front occupant. Dealers will verify that the OCS does not properly recognize a properly seated adult occupant. After verification, dealers will remove the right front seat cushion assembly and ship it to an evaluation and repair facility. This facility will evaluate and repair or reprogram the seat cushion and OCS as necessary. The recall is expected to begin on or about May 26, 2008. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. 08V-161

Volkswagen is recalling 76,900 MY 2004-2005 New Beetle and MY 2003-2005 New Beetle convertibles equipped with an advanced (dual-stage) air bag system. This system may have air bag frontal crash sensors that contain a solder joint on the circuit board that may crack under certain high temperature conditions. If this occurs, the air bag indicator light will illuminate and the fallback algorithm will ensure that the front air bags always deploy in a frontal crash in which the vehicle's deceleration is high enough to activate the frontal air bags. In low-severity frontal impacts, the front air bags may deploy more forcefully than designed, increasing the possibility of injury to out-of-position front seat occupants. Dealers will inspect each vehicle to determine that the specific defect crash sensor is present on one or both sides of the vehicle. All of the defect crash sensors will be replaced free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on or before July 31, 2008. Owners may contact Volkswagen at 1-800-822-8987. This recall was the subject of a Preliminary Evaluation, PE08-012, conducted by the Office of Defects Investigation. 08V-178

Land Rover is recalling 37,142 MY 2005-2006 LR3 and Range Rover Sport vehicles. Relative motion between the steering wheel hub and/or the steering column cowl with the clockspring, which includes the driver side air bag circuitry, could result in fracturing of the air bag wiring connection. If an air bag wire fractures, the SRS warning light will illuminate on the instrument cluster. The SRS warning light indicates to the driver that there is a concern with the SRS system in the vehicle and that immediate repair is necessary. If the SRS warning light is ignored and a vehicle crash of sufficient severity to command deployment of the driver's air bag occurs, the air bag module may not deploy in the intended manner. The condition may result in the deployment of only one stage of the dual stage driver's air bag or the air bag may not deploy at all increasing the risk of serious injuries to the driver. Dealers will insert spacers between the lower left hand side of the column switch mounting point and the column lock to improve the alignment of the column switch. Two foam pads will also be fitted to the top of the steering column switch gear to provide assured clearance between the cowl and the clockspring face. The recall is expected to begin on or about July 21, 2008. Owners may contact Land Rover at 1-800-637-6837. 08V-248

External Airbags

Douglas Gan — Thu, 29 May 2008 00:28:37 GMT

New developments in pedestrian and bicyclist safety are top of mind for airbag designers and vehicle makers today. Now, concerns for those outside the vehicle are proving just as important as those riding inside cars. Car makers like Toyota and Ford, working together with Autoliv and Bosch (among others) have designed and begun testing airbags to protect pedestrians and bicyclists.

Automakers are literally thinking outside the box to keep vehicle related injuries down and help reduce the costs of accident claims.

"The system, designed by Autoliv Inc, uses an airbag mounted in the A-Pillar of the car. When a front end impact is detected, the airbag inflates covering most of the bonnet and screen (windshield).
As part of the development into benefits for not only bikers but cyclists too, the Dutch Cycling Federation has said that over 60 lives could be saved and over 1500 serious injuries could be avoided every year by using these airbags in Holland.

Autoliv Inc said there is no news yet on price or availability yet, but that the system should be available for final testing in the near future."

(article by Visordown News)

...and, airbags are not just for cars anymore. Check out these new releases from Honda and Dianese for their new airbag protection on motorcycles.

Airbag Recalls - February / March 2008

Douglas Gan — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 19:17:37 GMT

Nissan Motor Co. is recalling 16,365 Murano and Infiniti EX 35 sport-utility vehicles to fix a software program that may lead passenger air bags to fail.

The recall affects 11,511 Muranos from model year 2009 and 4,854 Infiniti EX35s from 2008, according to a Feb. 12 letter from Nissan posted on the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Web site.

The air bags may fail to inflate in a crash because of incorrectly programmed software, increasing the risk of injury, according to the agency.

Nissan sold 76,358 Muranos last year, according to Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey-based Autodata Corp. The Infiniti EX, a compact sport-utility vehicle introduced in December to compete with Bayerische Motoren Werke AG's X3 and Honda Motor Co.'s Acura RDX, sold 305 units in 2007.

Jeannine Ginivan, a spokeswoman for Nissan, didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

Tokyo-based Nissan is Japan's third-largest automaker, behind Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda.

Volkswagen AG's 2003 and 2004 New Beetles are being investigated by U.S. safety regulators for a sensor malfunction that can reduce air-bag protection.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it received five complaints
that the failure of the front crash sensor triggered an air-bag warning light. The
preliminary inquiry may involve 104,000 vehicles, the Washington-based agency said today on its Web site.

"There have been no incidents or accidents resulting from this and we are
cooperating fully" with the agency, Keith Price, a spokesman for Volkswagen's Auburn Hills, Mich.-based U.S. unit, said in an interview.

About half of the initial inquiries by NHTSA result in a recall. Volkswagen, based in
Wolfsburg, Germany, is Europe's biggest carmaker.

Ford Recalls 470,000 Mustangs to update air bag software

Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday it is recalling 470,000 Ford Mustangs from the 2005-2008 model years to recalibrate how forcefully the air bag deploys on the front passenger side of the car.

Airbag Recalls - January 2008

Douglas Gan — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 19:05:27 GMT

GM is recalling 181,516 MY 2006-2008 Chevrolet HHR vehicles not equipped with optional roof rail air bags for failing to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 201, 'Occupant Protection in Interior Impact.' In tests, one of the upper interior occupant protection test points exceeded the standard's requirement. This standard specifies performance requirements to provide head impact protection for occupants. Dealers will install an energy-absorbing plastic piece to the headliner trim. The recall is expected to begin during March 2008. This recall was the subject of an investigation, OA-201-060918B, conducted by the Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance. 08V-046

Mitsubishi is recalling 7,340 MY 2006-2007 Endeavor vehicles. The right side lower seat belt anchor may separate during a severe vehicle crash. A severe crash could allow the seat belt to not properly restrain the passenger and potentially result in injury or death. Dealers will replace the front passenger side seat belt and bracket assembly. The recall is expected to begin during February 2008. 08V-022

Airbag Recalls - December 2007

Douglas Gan — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 19:02:09 GMT

Maserati is recalling 56 MY 2008 Granturismo vehicles equipped with the advanced passenger seat air bag weight sensor system. A malfunction can occur in the supplemental restraint system (SRS) electronic control unit (ECU) software when the battery is not fully charged. In the event of a crash, the passenger side air bag and passenger seat belt pre-tensioner may not deploy increasing the risk of injuries. Dealers will replace the SRS ECU units as necessary. The recall is expected to begin during January 2008. 07V-550

Honda is recalling 34,300 MY 2007-2008 Fit vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. The wire harness for the occupant detection system (ODS) and the occupant position detection system (OPDS) is routed underneath the carpet on the driver's side floorboard. In areas where road salt is used, salt from the snow on the driver's shoes will melt and may penetrate the carpet and leak into the wire harness. If the harness is exposed to salt brine, corrosion may occur and the wire may break causing the SRS indicator light to illuminate. A failure of the ODS and OPDS may not detect the presence of a child seat or an out-of-position passenger and deployment of both the front seat passenger's frontal and side air bags will not be suppressed. In the event of a crash, a deploying front passenger air bag or front passenger's side air bag will increase the risk of injury to small or out-of-position occupants. Dealers will inspect and replace the wire harness. The recall is expected to begin during January 2008. 07V-549

Airbag Recalls - November 2007

Douglas Gan — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 18:51:36 GMT

GM is recalling 57,100 MY 2007 Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac Torrent passenger vehicles not equipped with optional roof rail airbags or optional sunroof. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 201, "Occupant Protection in Interior Impact." During NHTSA impact tests, the interior occupant protection test points exceeded the standard requirements. The results of this test indicated a possibility of an increased risk of head injury in a crash. Dealers will install an energy absorbing foam piece to each of the a-pillar trim assemblies. The recall is expected to begin during January 2008. 07V-520

Ford is recalling 45 MY 2008 Focus, Expedition, F250 and F350 vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, 'Occupant Crash Protection.' The driver air bag module may not have been properly assembled. This condition may prevent the driver air bag from properly deploying and reduce occupant protection in the event of a crash. Dealers will replace the driver air bag module. The recall began on November 20, 2007. 07V-541

Airbag Recalls - October 2007

Douglas Gan — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 03:04:19 GMT

Volvo is recalling 5,002 MY 2008 XC70 passenger vehicles. Two deviations have been found in the supplemental restraint system (SRS) control unit software. These deviations may result in a late deployment of the inflatable curtain (IC) and side impact protection system (SIPS) air bags in certain side impact crash situations. In addition, this software error may also cause the 'SRS Airbag - Service Urgent' message and SRS warning light to illuminate. Late deployment of the IC and SIPS air bags in certain side impact crash situations could increase the risk of injury to the vehicle occupant. Dealers will perform a software upgrade of the SRS control unit. The recall is expected to begin during November 2007. 07V-500

Mercedes-Benz is recalling 5,823 MY 2008 C-Class vehicles for failing to comply with some of the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, "Occupant Crash Protection." The rear outboard seat belts do not comply with the lap-belt lockability requirement which enables the lap belt portion of the belt to be locked by the user to facilitate the use of older non-latch design child restraint devices. Under certain circumstances, this situation may cause the locking mechanism not to perform as required by the standard for use with older non-latch child restraints. Dealers will replace all potentially affected seat belts. The recall is expected to begin during November 2007. 07V-465

Liquid Electronic Connections

Douglas Gan — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 02:05:03 GMT

It’s now been 2 years since stories of flood cars from Hurricane Katrina saturated the world of ‘buyer-beware’. But it’s not just flood cars that cause problems. Other liquids like spilled milk, snow melt, pressure washed carpeting or a leaking windshield can cause serious problems too. Let us show you just how serious a wet floor can be!

Our expertise is in airbag systems, airbag replacement and airbag service, so we are often called upon to do investigations for insurance companies, attorneys and individuals involving accidental or inadvertent airbag deployment. After inspecting many such vehicles and knowing the serious personal injuries they can cause, the reason for these airbag deployments are shocking. What we have found has a common theme...liquids and electronics do not mix!!

This article will show you exactly what happens; not necessarily immediately, but 6 months, 1 year or even up to 4 or 5 years down the road. Once you know the facts, just being aware of these potentially serious situations and hazards can help you deal with the causes and may just save you from serious personal harm.

Although an estimated 500,000-600,000 cars were damaged by the hurricane and subsequent flood waters, many non-flood vehicles are susceptible to the same type of damages. What damage? Water or moisture collecting under the seats and console damaging highly sensitive electronic components.

The airbag control units for most of the vehicles on the road today are located on the floor, or near the center of the vehicle under the seats and consoles. They are positioned there specifically by the manufacturers in order to replicate, as closely as possible, the effects of an accident on the passengers in the vehicle. But by being positioned at such a low point in the vehicle, they are at risk of contamination from water or many other situations. Some simple, normal, everyday things that happen when you drive a car can have severe consequences. Here are a few.

With winter coming and snow flying in many states, melted snow and ice will now be introduced to the floors of vehicles across the country. Turn on the heater and this snow and ice becomes water, saturating the carpet and ultimately draining to the lowest pint in the vehicle…the floor under the seats.

As vehicles in the ‘sun states’ get older and sit in the sun day after day, the soft rubber seals around the windshield begin to harden and crack. Once the brittle seal cracks or breaks, any rain or water from the car wash that hits the roof and windshield is now channeled into the car, hidden by the interior trim panels and travels down to the lowest points in the car…the floor and beneath the seats.

Or how about the used car dealer wanting to get the most for his cars? With the best intentions, he power cleans the interior of a every vehicle he gets from the auction. These are not flood cars, just used cars with soiled carpets. With a pressure wand in hand, or a power steamer, the carpets are purposely washed and then dried as well as possible. But it’s too late… the water that soaked the carpet during the process has already seeped through, drained under the seats and now collects on the metal floor, saturating the padding on the way and going exactly where we don’t want it wet; around the airbag control unit.

And with so many people eating and drinking in their vehicles, cup holders all over the dash and console, the potential for a spilled soft drink or cup of coffee is greater now than ever. And guess where that spilled liquid goes…Right, through the console to the floor, or between the seats where you can’t dry it up.

Whatever the reason, liquids make their way to the carpet and interior of the vehicles exactly where we don’t want it…mixing with the electronic control module.

Here’s what happens when water and electronics mix. These pictures capture the inevitable results of ignoring the problem of a wet floor. Over time, water can turn the part on the left into the part on the right. Which one is in your car?

The owner of the vehicle this part came from suffered serious injuries as the airbag deployed immediately upon starting her car one morning. She wasn’t belted in place, nor was she prepared for the impact of the airbag. She was just starting her car to go to work when she was hit in the face and jaw by an airbag at 200 mph. (General Motors Safety webpage)

Airbags are designed to protect us from injury, but just like so many other conveniences in our lives, they need care and maintenance to insure their reliability. Most car manufacturers recommend servicing the airbag systems every 10 years. Checking the floors for moisture buildup should be included in that procedure and done more often. As a vehicle owner though, it’s ultimately your responsibility to care for and maintain your car. After all, it’s you who is at risk.

Here are some simple things you can do to identify if your car is at risk. Be aware of any of the following indicators. They may indicate a serious problem brewing:

Dampness in the floor and carpeting; moisture on the inside of the instrument panel
Rust on interior screws and other metal parts
Mildew, debris and mold in places where it shouldn’t normally be found
- under the seats or carpeting,
- in the trunk, or
- in the rear floor wells
Water stains or discoloration of seat belts and door panels
A moldy odor or an intense smell of Lysol or deodorizer being used to cover up an odor problem

Keeping you safe and maintaining a properly operating airbag system is what Airbagsolutions.com is all about. For more information on airbags and common airbag situations, check out our website @ http://www.airbagsolutions.com

Why is my Airbag light on?..What should I do?

Douglas Gan — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 02:37:33 GMT

    Airbag warning lights are exactly that...a warning that the airbag system is not operating properly. When they illuminate, the system is inactive. That means the airbags will not deploy if you are in an accident. Very often, owners will tape over the dash or actually remove the bulb to avoid looking at it. Some states have laws against tampering with the bulb, and most newer vehicle have dash circuits that do not allow access (sealed printed circuits).

    When the warning light comes on, it is indicating a fault in the system and a scanner is usually required to diagnose the problem. The scanner for an airbag system is a different scanner than the one used to diagnose engine problem or reset the 'check engine' lights. (although some scanners will do both). Vehicles have different computers for each system
As the airbag systems are now covering more and more components, front airbags, side airbags, curtain, seat belt pretensioners, knee airbags (and coming) seat belt airbags, it is important to get the right answer before you start working to get the light out.

    There are sensors throughout the vehicle, under the hood, in the pillars, under the console, and in the seat tracks. There are now sensors in the seats detecting occupant classification (OCS) There is wiring in the steering column (clockspring) and on-off switches in the dash. The wiring and components of this safety system are an integral part of the vehicle and should not / cannot be removed completely.

    So when the airbag light comes on, get the system tested by either the dealer or a competent technician, find out what has failed and then make an educated decision on how to and whether or not to fix it.

Now they've done it!!

Douglas Gan — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 13:19:13 GMT

A new car was unveiled at the 2007 Frankfurt auto show this week. Toyota introduced the new 2009 IQ, an ultra compact that seats 4 adults and now has a REAR airbag. It measures less than 118 inches long but includes a panoramic sunroof and 17 inch wheels and rear passenger protection. During a recent interview with News.com.au, the iQ’s chief designers Hiroki Nakajima revealed that the car features a new rear-impact airbag. “It is for rear-seat people. But there are some issues with certification. It is still secret,” Nakajima explained. (read article)
So finally they have created a vehicle that surrounds us with airbag protection. Designed in the south of France, this one rivals VW, Hyundai and Renault. Toyota compares this car to a manta ray with new design concepts in the interior that include a three dimensional display that projects the gauges and readouts. The navigation and audio are on the steering wheel
.